Aichi Carrier Torpedo Bomber

Powerful, fast and boasting fighter-like nimbleness, the Aichi Ryusei was a great plane that was doomed to back halls of history by Japan's inability to fit it with a good engine, the destruction of its manufacturing plants, and the lack of any carriers able to handle it. The "Grace," as she was called by the Allies, was a very modern design, with an internal bomb bay (torpedoes would be carried externally), a Corsair-like inverted-gull wing, and plenty of defensive armament. Koike's painting shows the plane's sleek lines well, and the effectiveness of the typical late-war Japanese Navy camouflage on a plane at low altitude over water.